Wise Folder Hider, just like its name, is a free file/folder hiding tool made for Windows users to easily hide their files and folders on local computer or external storage. Unlike the file hidden feature in Windows, which only triggers the hide attribute to the file or folder, files/folders hidden in the tool are completely protected with a user defined password. It’s completely free, and specifically designed for home use only. The commercial version of the tool has a lot more security features required by the big corporation network.

You will need to set up the master password when you run the tool for the first time. After that, you will have to enter the same password next time when you open the tool.

There are a few options available for you to conceal your files or folders into the tool. The first option is to simply drag and drop your files and folders right into the white space inside the tool. (However, it didn’t work for me during my test. It seems that you might need to disable UAC in order to get this option to work).

The second option is to use the 3 operations built in the tool, Hide File, Hide Folder, and Hide USB Drive. Clicking on any of them brings up the file browser that lets you browse through the file system to find the files/folders you want to hide.

It also adds a command entry into the right-click context menu in Windows Explorer. So when you have the files/folder shown up in the Explorer, You can hide them right from the right-click context menu on the fly.

Wise Folder Hider also has a very basic organizer that lists all files and folders that have been chosen to be hidden inside the tool. With in the tool, you can also make any of the hidden files/folders visible again by simply choosing to open them. You can also unhide them that basically make them removed from the tool and appeared again in their original location.

To enhance a little bit more security, you can set 2nd level of password on individual files or folders. You can do so by simply selecting the Set Password option from the option dropdown list.

Overall, Wise Folder Hider could be a quite useful tool for families that are sharing one computer among the family member. It’s simple and just work, nothing complicated. It’s complete free, but if you forgot the master password that you set during the first time you use the tool, you will have to pay a little bit fee in order to recover the password and data. Therefore, it’s very important not to forget it in the first place.

Wise Folder Hider works on all popular Windows platform, from XP and all the way to Windows 8, both 32-bit and 64-bit are supported.

We’ve also covered another tool called Secure Folder that works in the similar way. Check it out if you find this one doesn’t fit you that well.